Eugene von Guerard: Nature Revealed

Overview

It is just all happening at our state galleries right now: Matisse, Yayoi Kusama, and now the distinct and beautiful work of Eugene von Guerard.  For those philistines who are not aware of von Guerard’s work (like me, prior to researching this article), he is considered one of Australia’s most important colonial landscape painters.

Born in Vienna, von Guerard trained as an artist throughout Europe in the early-mid 1800s spending time in Rome, Naples and Dusseldorf. Then, in 1852, he migrated to Australia, finding his artistic inspiration in the Australian landscape. Focussing mainly on Victoria, where he was based, he depicted the amazing forests of Gippsland and the Otways, the crater lakes of Victoria's volcanic Western District and the peaks of the Kosciuszko plateau like no other painter at this time.

Von Guerard had a keen interest in the geography, geology and vegetation found in Australia, which was so different to his homeland.  His depictions were so detailed and well developed that they are still hold environmental significance today.

This is the first dedicated exhibition to Eugene von Guerard since 1980 and includes not only his paintings of the Australian landscape, but also landscapes from New Zealand and Europe. The exhibition includes sketches and never before seen works by this significant artist.